Moishe’s Pippic to close after 26 years in Hayes Valley [Update]

Joe Sattler, owner of Moishe’e Pippic Deli, smiles and laughs with customers as they leave. Sattler is from Brazil, but wanted to open a Chicago style deli, because New York delis are more common, so he has filled his with Chicago memorabilia most of which came from customers. Photo: The Chronicle/ Lacy Atkins

According to a sign on the front window, Moishe’s Pippic has closed after 26 years of business in Hayes Valley.

It was exactly a year ago, on his shop’s 25th anniversary, that proprietor Joe Sattlerreflected on a quarter-century of business in the neighborhood. The classic, old-school Chicago deli is Hayes Valley’s second-oldest business, dating back to the days when the neighborhood was a shadow beneath a freeway. Now, the area has transformed. And as of today, the area will transform a little more, as it loses one of its staples — and the city’s staples.

“I’m retiring,” says Sattler.

“Saturday was our last day, and life goes on. That’s it.”

As the news circulates on Twitter and the internet, the masses are starting to notice, and amidst dozens of phone messages this morning, Sattler jokes, “The news goes fast on the internet, doesn’t it? … The internet works. Would you believe that?”

And so, Moishe’s Pippic has left San Francisco after 26 years, which Sattler describes as a lifetime. It will be missed. A new restaurant — not a deli — is rumored to be moving in.